i can feel the trust (when it comes to us)
by Fist-it-Out
Summary: Zed's just a small town guy, who wants nothing more than to write his music and sing his songs. A chance encounter with a singer gives him the chance of a lifetime, the one thing he's been wanting his whole life. But he's left wondering if the costs outweigh the result.
1. Can You Feel the Christmas Soul?

**a/n: ****this is a gift for vicapuleti (on tumblr) because one she's awesome and two, she won something I don't remember what. **

* * *

There was a loud, insistent knocking at the door. Zed groaned inwardly, knowing what his dad was going to say. He was already up and moving to the door when his dad said, "Zed, could you get the door?"

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled, shuffling to the door.

He combed his fingers through his hair in an attempt to look presentable for their Christmas guest. He had half a mind to wonder who could be knocking—Eliza wouldn't be over until after noon, like she usually was. Still, he unlocked and pulled the door open rather blindly, squinting through the winter haze. He glanced down at the blonde pigtails under a bright red beanie, twinkling blue eyes and an adorable red nose all bundled up in a scarf and thick winter coat. Zed knew that face, despite the fact that she was all bundled up and fairly hidden. His eyes widened at the sight of Addy Dee, standing in front of his door, an adorable smile on her perfect, angelic face.

He opened and closed his mouth, unable to form words because _Addy Dee_ was standing in front of him. He had all but given up on her responding to his letter and now she was at his house. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he was in goofy Christmas pajama pants that were too big, hanging off his hips, and an old, worn sweater. He never imagined he would meet Addy Dee, but he figured if he met a celebrity he wouldn't be in his pajamas.

Addy Dee smiled, her shoulders raising sheepishly. "I'm looking for Zed Nec—Nicro—Necro—"

"Necrodopolis," he breathed. "I—I'm Zed."

"I got your letter," she said. "Can I come in?"

Zed nodded numbly, stepping back, allowing her to walk in, then closed the door behind her. "I brought gifts for your sister. That's what you asked for, right?"

He nodded again. "Uh—yeah! I just—" He pressed his lips into a firm line, feeling his cheeks flame up. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He needed to be cool, calm, and collected. He was talking to Addy Dee and he _was not_ going to embarrass himself. "I wasn't expecting you to deliver them."

Three weeks ago, Zed sent a Christmas letter to Addy Dee's fan mail address. It was simple enough. He told her how his little sister, Zoey, was her biggest fan, how their mother had died a few months before and they wouldn't be able to celebrate the holidays like they usually did because they were scraping by for money, and asked as nicely as possible for some merchandise she would be throwing out so he could try and give Zoey a semi-happy holiday.

And now Addy Dee was in his house.

Addy Dee tilted her head back and smiled. "You're so tall," she said offhandedly. "A lot taller than I expected."

Zed's eyebrows furrowed. "Thank you?"

She giggled, then held out her arms toward him. He took the bags from her hands, then waited for her to take off her coat and scarf and hang them up by the door. She let out a puff of air, brushing off her blue sweater, then her white jeans. God, she was so cute. She took the bags back from him and grinned. "Where is she?"

"Uh, we were about to open presents in the den," he said. "It's this way."

Addison grinned, following behind him through the living room and into the den. Zoey was sitting under the tree, her gifts from Zed and his friends around her, their father on the couch by the wall.

"Zed! Hurry we're waiting for you!" his eleven year old little sister whined.

"Who was there, Son?" his father, Zevon asked.

"Special delivery gifts for Zoey," Zed said with a grin.

He walked into the den and stepped to the side, revealing the blonde pop sensation. Zoey gasped, then screamed, making Zed and Zevon jump. Addy Dee giggled, holding out her arms.

"Merry Christmas Zoey!"

Zoey jumped up and charged the singer, nearly tackling her in a hug. "Oh my god Zed _you got me Addy Dee_!" she shrieked.

Zed smiled at his sister and glanced at his dad, who looked incredibly surprised. "Zed?" Zevon asked. Zed walked over to his dad, sitting beside him. "How did you get your sister a pop star?"

"Addy Dee is here!" Zoey squealed. "Why? Oh my god! How? Zed?" She turned her head to her brother.

"He asked nicely," Addy Dee said. "I brought you some Christmas presents."

Zoey gasped, finally letting go of the singer. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Best Christmas ever!" She ran to her brother and threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you!"

Zed hugged his sister and chuckled. "Merry Christmas, Zo-Zo."

She got up and went back to Addy Dee, grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the tree.

"So how did you do it?" Zevon whispered.

Zed shrugged. "I just wrote her a letter, asking for her to send some merchandise to Zoey, 'cause she's a big fan. And she just, showed up. Pretty crazy, right?"

Zevon nodded in agreement. "Insane," he said. "Uh, how long is she staying?"

"I have no idea," Zed said. "I didn't even know she was coming until a few minutes ago."

Zevon nodded. "Merry Christmas, then. Santa really came through this year."

Zed chuckled and nodded. He watched his sister talk Addy Dee's ear off while they opened gifts. There weren't any addressed to him, seeing as he and his two friends exchanged gifts a couple of days before, and there wasn't any way for Zoey or his father to buy him anything.

Twenty minutes later, Zoey had opened all of her gifts and was just showing the ornaments her and Zed made over the years to Addy Dee. At least, until Zoey was asking Zed and Zevon, "Can Addy Dee stay for breakfast? _Please_!"

"Well only if she wants to, Sweetpea," Zevon said.

Zed looked at Addy Dee just as she looked at him. Her smile was so beautiful, he could feel his cheeks heating up under her glorious blue-eyed gaze. "I'd love to stay for breakfast," she said, her eyes never leaving his.

"Zed? Wanna go get started on it?"

"Yeah sure." He gave Addy Dee one last smile, then stood, heading to the kitchen.

What was all that? The smiles and staring and—did she blush too? Were her cheeks always that pink or did he cause that? He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts together. Addy Dee was just an incredibly nice singer who was doing this probably because she felt really sorry for them, and he was just an insane fan who had a tiny crush on her.

"Zed?"

He jumped and spun around, seeing Addy Dee in the kitchen doorway. "Uh, yeah?" he stammered, trying and failing to sound casual.

"Your dad sent Zoey upstairs to get dressed and…do you need any help? With breakfast, I mean." She rubbed her arm and glanced at the ground. She was definitely blushing, but he couldn't figure out why. "I'm not that great at cooking but I can still be helpful."

Zed's lips twitched up into a smile. "I'll show you my super special Christmas morning breakfast," he told her.

She beamed up at him, skipping into the kitchen and to his side. "Do I get an apron?" she asked. "A chef hat?"

Zed chuckled, shaking his head. "We don't have any of those things," he told her, "but we do have lots of pancakes and waffles. Granted they're frozen."

"Are they Eggo? I love Eggo."

Zed gave a nervous laugh, scratching his stubbly chin. "Uh, not exactly," he said. "Eggo's a bit…pricey. We've got off-brand foods."

Addy Dee continued to beam at him, easing his awkwardness. "That sounds even better, honestly," she told him.

He smiled, going to the freezer and pulling out the bags of frozen breakfast treats. He laid them out on the counter for Addy Dee to see.

"What comes first?" she asked.

"Well, we need a lot of food," he explained. "My two friends usually come over to join us. It's nice." He paused, realizing there was a celebrity among them now and she might not be so okay with Bonzo and Eliza showing up. "I mean, I could turn them away if you'd rather no one else know you here."

"Well I wouldn't want to screw with your tradition," she said. "And if they're your friends, they must be nice. You don't seem like the kind of guy to have assholes around."

Zed raised an eyebrow at her. She shifted under his gaze, her cheeks going pink as she cast her gaze to the ground. "You're just really nice. Nice guys don't have jerky friends."

"Thank you," he said. "But, I'll just tell them to meet me later. It's not a big deal. I'd rather just hang out with you. You're also incredibly awesome, Addy Dee. I mean—"

"Addison," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

She lifted her eyes to meet his, saying, "I want you to call me Addison. Stage name is really formal."

Zed smiled. "You're awesome, Addison. You came all this way just to give my sister an unforgettable Christmas."

She smiled for a second, then it turned into a more wistful look. His breath hitched, an unfamiliar warmth spreading in his chest. His stomach fluttered and his chest burned, and Zed realized that this was not how people with a crush on a celebrity felt. She was glowing, _literally_ shining like the light of his life. His heart was pounding but he couldn't look away from her beautiful blue eyes and her gorgeous smile. Everything about her was so magical and intoxicating.

Was he…falling in love with Addison?

No, that couldn't be right. He only just met her. She was just a really nice girl, who was his age and incredibly pretty. And they had been making intense eye contact for god knows how long. He swore he saw her eyes flicker to his lips, the shift enough to break the eye contact.

"Uh, breakfast?" he suggested, turning to the counter.

"Yeah," she breathed.

* * *

After breakfast, Zed took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them and his dad went upstairs to get ready for work. Addison offered her services, drying the dishes as he washed them.

"You really don't have to do this," he told her for the fourth time.

"Zed, I'm having fun," she assured him. "I never get to do normal things."

"Well yeah, you can pay people to do that for you," he teased, giving her a smile. She rolled her eyes but giggled anyway.

"Would you mind if…I hung around today?"

Zed blinked, surprised. "You want to spend Christmas with me and Zoey?" She nodded and he couldn't help but ask, "_Why?_"

"Because you're really nice, and your sister is sweet. And…it feels nice to do a normal Christmas." She giggled and said, "Christmas with the Necrodopolis Family. Has a nice ring to it."

Zed chuckled. "Well the next part of our day is kinda depressing, I won't lie to you," he said. "We're gonna go down to the community center."

"Why is that depressing? It sounds fun!"

"Oh, well, it's because we can't really keep the power on here. We kinda hang out there. Free heat, sometimes. It's nice." He shrugged, embarrassed. "I'm also…participating in the Christmas show."

Addison raised an eyebrow at him. "Christmas show?"

He nodded. "I kinda, sing. Sometimes."

"What are you singing?"

"Uh, I wrote a Christmas song. It's, it's just okay, you'll probably cringe really hard since I suck."

Addison ignored his comment and asked, "You wrote a Christmas song?" Zed nodded. "With what? A guitar? A piano? A friend?"

"Oh, well, I kinda...Bonzo helped me record the music, but I'm pretty decent on a guitar."

Addison didn't say anything and he looked at her, worried. She was giving him a shy smile, her cheeks dusted pink. "Wow Zed," she said. "You can sing, play guitar, and you're cute."

Zed's eyes widened, his face heating up. '_She thinks you're cute, she thinks you're cute, she thinks you're cute, SHE THINKS YOU'RE CUTE._'

"Zed!" Zed jumped back, not even noticing he had been leaning toward Addison. He turned and saw his dad in the doorway. "I'm heading out. Don't stay in too long."

"Okay."

Zevon frowned, eyeing his son. "You feeling alright son? You're a little red."

"Yeah just…a little hot. I'm gonna shower soon."

"Alright," Zevon said. "I'll see you tonight." Then, to Addison, he said, "Thank you for joining us. You really made this holiday special."

"Thank you for having me," Addison said with a smile.

Zevon grinned and waved at the two before heading out, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

"Where were we?" Addison asked, smiling up at him.

"Um…"

She gasped as she remembered. "You write music! Why wouldn't you say that in your letter that's so cool!"

Zed blushed and looked away from her. She continued talking, saying, "I'm so excited to hear your song. Go take a shower! I'll finish the dishes. The faster you get ready, the faster I can hear you sing."

"Oh, you don't have to do the dishes. Zoey will do them." Zed threw her a wink that made her laugh, then walked over to the stairs, calling for Zoey to join them in the kitchen.

"Zo, I'm gonna go shower so we can head out. Finish cleaning up, okay?"

"Is Addy Dee gonna come to the show with us?" Zoey asked.

"Yes, but not if we don't finish cleaning."

Zoey cheered and Zed just rolled his eyes, heading up to the bathroom.

* * *

Zed wasn't quite sure where the brown wig had come from, but when he got out of the shower Addison was sporting a brown wig under her adorable beanie, brown bangs falling into her blue eyes.

"That's new," Zed pointed out.

"It's just a disguise," Addison said with a shrug. "Come on, I wanna hear you sing!"

* * *

Addison was closest to the stage, right next to Zoey. Not a big deal. Addy Dee, pop sensation, was front row at his Christmas performance. He needed to calm down, get it together. He was performing for Pete's sake.

"How's everyone doing today!" Zed said into the microphone, warning a round of cheers.

The crowd was filled with kids and teens alike, all in similar situations to the Necrodopolises. The people in Seabrook nicknamed his neighborhood 'Zombietown' because of...Well there were a lot of reasons. The vast amounts of poverty; the shitty, unkempt roads and public facilities; the corrupt justice system; the insanely high crime rates that included 'unsolved murders' of people that were actually running away from Zombietown, Seabrook, all of it.

Zed smiled at all the familiar faces, friends from high school back from college, kids he'd babysat, kids he saw at Zoey's school. And, of course, Addison. He gave her a nervous smile, and it seemed like her cheering got louder.

"Alright, let's kick off this Christmas bash with an original song. You can catch on pretty quick, this one's called _Christmas Soul_!" He grinned at the cheering audience, throwing a thumbs up to his friend, Eliza, who controlled the music in the back of the room.

"_I always love this time of year, white snow and reindeer. There's something special in the air, friends and family everywhere._

_When everybody's singing my heart starts jing-a-lingin'. There's something 'bout those December nights. _

_Today's the day! Let's celebrate, with that Christmas soul, feel that Christmas soul. We got that reindeer kinda cheer. Santa's flying over here all the way from the North Pole! 'Cause we got Christmas soul. Yeah, we got Christmas Soul_

_When it gets real cold outside, Imma take you on a sleigh ride…We'll come and gather 'round the tree and we'll make some memories. Oh, oh, yeah_

_When everybody's singing my heart starts jing-a-lingin'. There's something 'bout those December nights._

_Today's the day! Let's celebrate with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul. We'll have a ball! Let's deck the halls with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul. We got that reindeer kinda cheer. Santa's flying over here all the way from the North Pole! 'Cause we got Christmas Soul_

_Just clap your hands we can dance tonight. If you got Christmas spirit let it shine bright. Just clap your hands we can dance tonight. If you got Christmas spirit let it shine bright. _

_Today's the day! Let's celebrate with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul. We'll have a ball! Let's deck the halls with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul._

_We got that reindeer kinda cheer, Santa's flying over here. All the way from the North Pole! 'Cause we got Christmas Soul_."

* * *

Zed hopped off the stage, accepting the applause from his friends in the front. He managed to lock eyes with Addison, tilted his head and motioned for her to meet him off to the left. She nodded, and disappeared in the crowd. Zed got pulled away for several minutes, talking to some of his friends, but managed to sneak away from the crowd and behind the stage's backdrop, where Addison had hidden herself.

He gave her a nervous smile, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He'd just performed an original Christmas song in front of a real life singer. Sure, she had been smiling the whole time and looked like she enjoyed it, but what if she was just being polite? Could he even outright ask her what she thought? That seemed a little desperate.

Addison smiled at him. "Wow," she breathed. "That was…wow."

Zed chuckled, his voice shaking. Was that good? Wow could be bad, right? He wasn't just over thinking everything.

Addison must have noticed the conflict on his face because she rolled her eyes and took a step closer. Zed's breath caught in his throat seconds before she kissed him. Like, on the lips.

He had enough of a brain to think, '_Holy shit _Addy Dee _is kissing me_.'

Then she pulled away from him, smiling shyly. "I've been wanting to do that all day," she admitted. "And when I saw you up there on the stage I figured—well I better get him before someone else does." Her smile turned to a deep frown and she quickly added, "Unless you're already in a relationship then I totally understand if I overstepped and you can forget that I ever even kissed you."

"You…all day?" His brain was still foggy from the kiss and the fact that _Addy Dee just said she had been wanting to kiss him all day_.

"I mean, I kinda creepily went through your Instagram after you sent that letter and you're really cute and sweet and once I met you in person I realized what a great guy you were. And, I know we barely know each other and we live on two different sides of the country, but…I kinda wanna see where this goes? You know?"

Zed opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. He was fairly certain Addy Dee was asking him out. Like, on a date.

"When do you go back home?"

"I can cancel my flight tonight. It's my dad's private jet so…"

Zed raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, would you like to go out tomorrow?"

Addison giggled and nodded. "What took you long enough!"

Zed beamed, his chest swelling with joy. She reciprocated his excitement, sliding her hand in his. "So what's this party about?" she asked. "Can I meet your friends? Are you gonna do another song?"

Zed laughed, walking with her back into the main room. Eliza was still on her platform, DJing the party, and Zed knew that his other friend, Bonzo, was off somewhere with the toddlers. They would be there for a few more hours and none of his friends would be free to hang out. Even Zed wasn't usually unoccupied, helping out with the sixth graders. He always ended up working with Zoey and her classmates, but the coordinator had let him off the hook since he had performed.

"How 'bout we ditch the party?" Zed offered. "There's this really nice place I could show you. It's in the building."

"As long as you don't murder me," Addison joked. Or, at least, he hoped she was joking.

Zed weaves through the crowd, leading Addison to the back of the room and slipping through a door labeled '_**Staff Only**_'. The hallway was dimly lit but Zed knew the path by heart, weaving through doors and hallways, going down stairs and nearly falling a couple of times. Addison followed him blindly, not even asking where they were going. The only time she opened her mouth was to laugh when he missed a step and nearly cracked his head open. He couldn't even be upset, she had a cute laugh.

Zed stopped at the opening to the spacious room, squatting and groping around the lower parts of the wall until his fingers brushed [the thing with the thing that turns on lights but it's like a circle or whatever idk]. He started to turn it, ignoring the loud shuttering of the generators powering on and the lights fading in, a dim yellow glow slowly growing stronger. He stopped before the lights could be fully on, knowing that they'd short out the generator and he'd get busted.

Zed stood, glancing at Addison. Her head turned slowly, her mouth agape, a wondrous, "Woah," leaving her lips. "What is this place?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Zed said. "It's been here so long, and only a handful of people even know what it is. They think it's leftover from some unfinished construction." Zed shrugged, shoving his hands in his pocket. "We call it the Zombie Light Garden."

"It's…beautiful," she breathed.

Zed stepper forward, offering her his hand. "Come with me."

"Where are we going now?"

"A walk in the park," he said, throwing her a wink.

She giggled, her head ducking down, her cheeks dusting pink. Her hand slid in his and he walked backwards, leading her into the room. The walls were covered in murals his friends Bonzo had done for his college portfolios. It was a tribute to their neighborhood, with almost abstract illusions and representations of it all. They were barely visible in the dim light.

Zed hopped onto the platform, pulling Addison along with him. He led her around the second level, ducking under a beam, then climbed three steps to the highest level, where they sat, legs swinging over the light garden.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Zed answered.

"Why is everything around here…Zombie-themed?"

Zed shrugged, his fingers rubbing against hers. He was silent, thinking of the simplest way to explain without scaring her out too much. "It's a stupid nickname, 'cause like, fifty years ago, there were a lot of murders and missing person's cases that never got solved." Addison's eyebrows rose in shock, and Zed was quick to continue, "And some idiot claimed they were still around but like, as Zombies or something. And it kinda stuck, I guess." He didn't need to mention the random limbs that would turn up every few weeks or days, or how October was 'zombie season.'

"That's…dark."

"That's Seabrook for ya."

Addison nodded, pursing her lips. She leaned onto his shoulder, nestling into his side. Zed smiled. She was so soft, so kind and gentle. How could someone like her ever like someone like him?

"I'm glad you and your parents were never, like, 'zombified.' Otherwise I'd never have met you."

Zed let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes. God, he was falling for her _hard_, Addison Daliah Wells, who lived on the complete other side of the country. Who was a singer and famous, practically cuddling with him in his hiding spot and actually giving him the time of day.

"Zed," Addison said, her voice forcibly steady. She was clearly about to tell him so bad news. "I…I have to ask, for you to like, not post about me. Or like, tell people. My parents would flip out if they found out through Instagram that I was dating."

Zed nodded. That wasn't…too bad. It wasn't much of a request.

"I'm sorry, I swear I'm not embarrassed or anything," she rushed. "I just…I know it's stupid but I could get in a lot of trouble. And, plus…" She lifted her head and gave him a tentative smile that made his heart flutter. "I'd rather have my zombie all to myself. Instead of having the whole world in our relationship."

Zed bit his lips to keep from smiling too hard. She called him _her_ zombie.

"That makes sense," he said. "I'll try and be careful. Though I doubt Zoey will do good with keeping a secret."

Addison giggled, leaning back into him. Zed's eyes flickered to her lips, pink and a tiny bit swollen from their kiss only a few minutes ago.

"Can I ask you something?" he said quietly. Addison nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Is it okay if I kiss you again?"

She giggled and nodded. "You don't have to ask, you can always kiss me."

Zed's lips twitched in a smile. He lifted her chin with his fingers and leaned forward, giving her a tender kiss.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this! songs in this chapter: **

**\- Christmas Soul (by Ross Lynch) **

**\- Smile (Meg Donnelly)**


	2. I Just Wanna Make You Smile

After dinner, they went back to the Necrodopolis house, where Addison hung around until Zoey went to bed and Mr. Necrodopolis came home. Then Zed offered to walk Addison back to her hotel, where they just walked and talked. Zed basically gave her the Seabrook tour, telling her a bullshit history explanation of random places that made her laugh.

After forty minutes, they had stopped in front of the only hotel in Seabrook. Addison stepped in front of him, swinging their linked hands back and forth. With her free hand, she pulled out her phone and held it out for him. "Put your number in," she told him. "So we can text about tomorrow."

Zed nodded, taking it and punching in his numbers with one hand. He also took the liberty to take a contact picture, making a stupid face at the camera that had her giggling. He was such an adorable dork.

Zed passed her her phone back and Addison looked, seeing he texted himself a random emoji—an elephant and a random heart, her two most recent emojis.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Zed asked.

"Of course, goodnight." She stood on her toes and pecked his lips, giggling. "Let me know when you get home. No detours, I'm timing you."

Zed chuckled. "Timing me?"

"I'll be nice and give you an hour," she teased. She set a timer and showed him her phone, earning a laugh.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I'll text you as soon as I get home. I promise."

Addison nodded. "See you tomorrow!" She stood on her toes and pecked his lips again, getting a laugh out of him.

"One more," he said, leaning down and kissing her, this time for longer than a few seconds. Addison giggled when they pulled apart, ruffling his hair.

"Okay. Bye for real."

"Bye for real."

Addison skipped into the hotel, peaking through the glass doors and giving Zed another wave. He blew her a kiss, then started back down the road. Addison turned, bouncing to the staircase; she was too excited to stand in one spot in the elevator. Her wig was off once she was on her floor and she sprinted down the hall, fumbling with her room key in her pocket.

Addison spun into her room, a stupid grin on her face. Zed Necrodopolis…what a man! She flopped back onto her bed with a happy sigh.

Across the room, her cousin, travel companion, and personal 'bodyguard' Bucky chuckled. Addison didn't bother sitting up to acknowledge him and he said, "Someone's happy."

Addison rolled onto her side, facing her cousin. He had a mocking smile on his face that, if she weren't so stoked about Zed, she'd punch. Bucky had a very punchable face.

"The little girl liked the gifts?" Bucky asked.

"Yes, she had a great Christmas," Addison said. "And so did I! Her brother, her _older_, super hot brother, is also really sweet and we hung out. _All day_."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. Addison gave him a dreamy smile, imagining Zed's cute cheeks that she just wanted to pinch and hold all the time, his bright smile, his perfect brown eyes—and that was just his face! Truth be told, after she had read his letter about his family and his little sister, she may have done a bit of research to verify it was all true. And then she may have gotten sucked down the rabbit hole that was his very cute, very public Instagram page, filled with cute videos of him and his little sister and silly pictures of him and his friends.

He was cute and adorable and he seemed very sweet. So maybe she did a bit of begging to fly out to meet him. She didn't plan to fall for the guy. But…how could she resist such a charming, sweet, caring soul?

"You're drooling," Bucky stated, though Addison knew he was just exaggerating and frowned. "You better be joking about that. Wouldn't Aunt Missy find out you were whoring out on your vacation."

Addison propped herself up on her elbow. "I wasn't…I didn't do _that_," she argued, frowning and blushing all at once. Leave it to Bucky to ruin her good mood. "I'm not—that's—ugh!"

"Relax, Cuz, just teasing you," Bucky said. "Tell me about your day. With your super hot super sweet guy."

At the mention of Zed, a small smile started forming on her face. "He's so much cuter in person. And he's so nice. And his voice is fantastic! He did a whole Christmas song for the little kids! It was so sweet!" She sighed and rolled onto her back. "I kissed him. I just—I just kissed him! And it was great! It was so perfect and—we have a date. Tomorrow."

Bucky scoffed at that. "We're leaving in the morning."

Addison shook her head. "I already called Daddy and asked if I could spend a little more time with Zoey and her family, and he said yes."

"Oh really? Did you mention your little boy toy? Who's probably just into you because you're rich and famous? What did Daddy Dale say to that, huh?"

Addison pursed her lips. She moved to a sitting position, running her fingers through her hair. "I…I don't think so. I think…I think he likes me, like for real."

Bucky scoffed. "We'll see."

Addison rolled into her back. She was sure, in her heart, that Zed could be the one. They instantly clicked! It was as if they had known each other for years! But…there were always those people, who just faked interest, because she was famous, and her parents were rich. And Zed would be the type—he was poor, which he emphasized a lot in his letter. But he was too sweet to do that. He didn't even notice all the hints she had dropped all day, not until she had basically flung herself onto him.

"And if you think I'm not going with you tomorrow—"

Addison sat up and shouted, "_What!_ Why!"

Bucky was standing at the foot of her bed now and pointed an accusing finger at her. "Last time I left you alone, you went out and got yourself a boyfriend!"

"You can't—_chaperone_ my date!"

"Watch me!"

Addison groaned, falling onto her bed. "Bucky!" she whined.

"Don't give me that tone," Bucky argued. "Last I checked, _I'm _your personal bodyguard. I don't like something, it doesn't happen. You know I didn't want you coming out here, and now you want to go out with some boy?" He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Addison pouted and looked down, knowing he was right. "I could call Garrett and have us out of here by ten. But I'm being nice. Aren't I, Addison?"

She nodded, silently relenting.

"Wherever you go with this—what's his name?"

"Zed."

"That's a dumb name," he muttered, then he continued with his rant. "Wherever you go, I'm there. It's my job to keep you safe. Got it?"

"Yes."

Bucky started walking away, muttering, "Lucky I don't call her parents. Bet Aunt Missy would shut this down in a second."

Addison rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips. Bucky could tell her dad and mom, who were her producer and manager, respectively. She didn't know what would happen if they found out she had a thing for some farm boy (which was just what they liked to call "irrelevant" people). It probably wouldn't be good.

Bucky disappeared into the bathroom and left her thoughts. Instead, all the possible ways Zed planned on charming her tomorrow went through her mind. Not that he needed to charm her anymore. She was already whipped. He was so cute…and so nice and caring. And his voice! She wondered idly if he would write a song about her. Maybe she could write one about him. He was pretty great, and she couldn't stop thinking about how he made her feel.

She rolled off her bed, hitting the floor and shrieking. "Okay, bad idea," she muttered to herself, getting to her knees.

She stood up and crossed the room, taking her guitar out of the case on the desk. She went back and sat on her bed, already strumming out a tune.

* * *

"…_and that's a good mood, have you feeling like you getting in a good groove, feeling better than you feeling in awhile. I just wanna make you smile_."

Addison smiled, thinking of Zed's sweet smile. Her phone vibrated and she jumped, grabbing and seeing a text from the man who occupied all her thoughts.

_**Zed Necrodopolis**__: Hey Addy Dee! I'm at home and I'm going to bed! I'll text you in the morning for the plans for tomorrow._

She giggled, typing out her reply. _**Me**__: Okay goodnight! See you tomorrow!_

Zed sent several emojis—hearts and kissing faces and smiling faces—and Addison giggled. He was incredibly adorable and affectionate. She would get used to that.

Another message went through—a mirror selfie of Zed, in a loose and fraying tee shirt on, grinning at the mirror, toothbrush in his mouth and foam dripping down his chin. He even captions it '_Goodnight Beautiful! I'll be thinking of you!_' And—how did she get so lucky? It felt like they had been dating forever and not…four hours.

And he called her beautiful!

Addison propped her phone up on the desk, managing to snap a picture of her and her guitar. She hit send and added, '_Feeling inspired by a certain Zombae. See you tomorrow!_'

* * *

Zed's leg bounced nervously, shaking the couch and annoying his sister. She kept shooting him glares but he ignored her, trying to concentrate on the dumb show on the television. She ignored it too, or at least he thought she was, until she muted the television and turned to him.

"Why are you doing that?" she snapped, annoyed.

Zed jumped in surprise. "What?"

"Why are you nervous? You hung out with Addy Dee all day yesterday. You stole _my_ Christmas present." Zoey complained. "And you get to hang out with her again!"

"Zoey." Zed rolled his eyes. "You don't understand."

"I'm eleven, not dumb."

Zed closed his eyes and huffed out a sigh. "You're not going on a date with a celebrity, are you?" he snapped back. "I'm allowed to be nervous, okay."

Zoey rolled her eyes and got off the couch. "Whatever. I'm gonna go get ready."

Zed fixed her a confused look. She walked backward out of the den and said, "You're going on your date with Addy Dee, I'm sleeping over at Sofi's house."

"Are you mad?"

Zoey let out a loud groan in response, turned and ran up to her room. Zed closed his eyes and sighed. Eleven was such a tender age. Every age was a tender age with Zoey. Zed got off the couch and left the den, heading for the stairs.

"Zoey!" Zed called.

"Leave me alone!"

Zed rolled his eyes and took the stairs three at a time. At least, until there were knocks on the door. He froze and turned, knowing it was Addison, therefor their date. He groaned and ran down the stairs, quickly unlocking it. He smiled at Addison, dressed all cute in her white sweater and orange skirt, blonde hair curling around her shoulders. Then his smile fell when he noted the grinning man behind her, dark hair, _incredibly _tanned for the middle of winter, annoying little dimples.

Zed mentally shook his head and smiled again. "Addison! Hey!" he greeted. "And…"

"This is Bucky, my—"

"Cousin, bodyguard, protector. You get the gist." He grinned and Zed couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his smile actually falling.

"Uh, nice to meet you?"

Addison rolled her eyes. "He insisted on chaperoning," she whispered.

"Well that's fine," Zed smiled. He stepped to the side and said, "You guys can come inside. Let me get Zoey out of here and then we can go."

Addison nodded and they both walked inside. Zed directed them to the chairs at the kitchen table, locking the door, then bolted upstairs.

Bucky whistled and Addison turned, watching her cousin slowly wander the living room. He slowed at the patchy couch, clicking his tongue at the buster seams with cotton poking out. Her stomach dropped once she realized he was judging, judging the Necrodopolis' _hard_, and there was no way they'd pass his judgment.

"How…comfortable," Bucky mumbled.

"Bucky—"

He turned and gave her an innocent smile. "I'm just looking around, Addy Dear," he said. "Nothing to worry about. It's a…well I wouldn't call it _lovely_, but it sure is a home." He laughed, his annoying, cocky laugh that always made her glare.

"It's so dark in here," he commented. His fingers brushed over the dangling yarn of a wired lightbulb that stood out from the wall, throwing a dim light over the living room. "Yellow lights…ugh. Kinda tacky."

"Don't be a jerk," she scolded. "I think it's cute, classic."

"Of course you do, you're swooning for this bum."

"_Bucky_."

He laughed and smiled at his cousin. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. He was so, so stupid sometimes. Those jokes were never funny. They were just mean, and unfair.

Bucky crouched by the side table, humming, and Addison rushed over to see what had caught his attention. It couldn't have been anything good, it never was when it came to Bucky. There wasn't anything on the table beside a pad of sticky notes, a marker, and three framed pictures. But Bucky grabbed the largest of the three. Addison peered around her cousin, her eyes landing on the old family picture. It had to be recent because both Zoey and Zed looked nearly the same, smiling on a park bench, their dad in the corner of the selfie, and a woman wedged between Zed and Zoey, grinning. It had to be their mother.

They all had green hair, except the woman, who had a white scarf wrapped around her head. It was definitely their mom. But it had to be a few months old. Zed had written in his letter how she had passed back in September from cancer.

"Bucky, don't play with that," she warned.

He glanced at her and chuckled. "What? Don't want me ruining the perfect family picture." He tossed it lightly in the air and pretended to drop it. "Woah," he teased, laughing when she gasped.

"Bucky that's not funny!"

"What, this?" He let it slip from his grip again and caught it by the corner, chuckling.

"Bucky—"

"Relax, Addison." He grinned, returning his eyes to the picture. "I'm not _you_."

She rolled her eyes, wanting to back away and let him screw up. But she couldn't. That picture had to be important to the family; if something happened to it, they'd be crushed. And, a little less importantly but still pretty important, they'd blame her, which would ruin her chance with Zed. And she happened to really like him.

"Just stop," she whispered.

He grinned at her, chuckling. "Fine," he sang. "You're no fun."

Bucky went to place the frame on the table, letting it go prematurely. The frame clipped the edge of the table, the cousins watching in horror, the frame free falling and hitting the ground with a resonating crash. Glass shards scatter on the floor, the ear-splitting sounds of cracking and breaking wood echoing in their ears.

Addison stared with wide eyes, unable to formulate any words other than, "_Shit shit shit shit_."

Footsteps pounded on the stairs. Addison whipped around, her pulse thundering in her veins. Zed jumped over the railing, eyeing the scene before him, while Zoey continued the normal way.

"What's going—" Zed's eyes landed on the broken frame and he froze. Addison and Bucky looked at the frame, then at each other, then back to Zed, sidestepping away from the mess.

"What…what did you do?"

Addison opened and closed her mouth, unable to find the right words. Zed floated over the carpet, kneeling down in front of the mess.

"I-I'm so sorry," Addison stuttered.

Zed nodded once. He cleared his throat and said in a forced positive voice, "It's fine. I can fix it later."

Addison frowned, her chest flooding with guilt. It wasn't even her fault. But it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't caved and let Bucky chaperone. So it was her fault. In some sick, twisted way.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I can…buy you a new frame, or something."

Zed looked up and gave her a smile. "It's fine, really," he assured her. "Let me just clean this up before we go."

"I can help."

"I'd rather you not." He smiled, just to be polite, and she nodded, her face flushing. The message was clear: he didn't want her screwing things up anymore. Or Bucky for that matter.

This date was already off to a great start.

* * *

Dinner was a lot less fun knowing his every move was being watched by her overbearing, overprotective, annoying, snarky cousin. He walked behind them the entire way, butting into their conversation and overall killing the vibe. All Zed wanted was a nice night out with Addy Dee, not an okay evening with Addy Dee and her bodyguard.

Thankfully, Bucky sat at a different table, several spaces away from the little corner booth Zed and Addison occupied. Zed was just glad Erin was hosting. Either way, he wasn't going to let Bucky ruin his date.

Addison couldn't stop looking around the dining room with a wistful smile. "What is this place?" she asked. "It's so…amazing. I love it."

Zed lifted the menu for her to see, saying, "Cove & Co.?"

Addison giggled. She scooted closer, smiling. "It's so pretty," she whispered. "Do you bring all your dates here?"

The way she batted her eyelashes sent his heart into a frenzy. He managed to play it off with a low laugh, shaking his head. "This happens to be the classiest restaurant in all of Zombietown," he informed her. "And owned by my best friend's mom, so I get an amazing discount, because Mac loves me."

She tilted her head at him. "Who friend?"

"I only have two friends!"

Addison laughed, her shoulders shaking, leaning forward. She chewed the corner of her lip like she always did when she laughed, grinning at him from the corner of her eye. His breath caught in his throat; she was so beautiful, adorable, amazing. And she was there, with him of all people. How did he get so lucky?

"I just wanted to tease you," she said. "Though your two friends are pretty dope."

"Eh, they're all right."

She giggled, bashfully ducking her head down. She had the most adorable dimple in her left cheek. Who was he kidding, everything about her was charming, delightful, cute.

Addison smiled at him, a devilish twinkle in her eyes. She scooted closer, their thighs brushing together. His eyes stare at the extra contact, her white tights pressing against his jeans. It was nothing, it shouldn't have sent his heart into a frenzy the way it did.

"Is this…" he lifted his eyes to her, gulping at the sight of her crystal blue eyes looking up at him through dark lashes, "too close?"

Heat crawled up his neck, his mouth running dry. "No, uh, no," he muttered.

"You sure? You seem a little nervous." She laid her hand on his shoulder, her fingers tweaking in his hair. She got closer, impossibly closer, smiling like a little minx.

He needed to cool it. Calm down. He huffed out a breath and smiled, playing off his nerves. "Where would you get an idea like that?"

She giggled, leaning forward and closing the gap between them. Their noses bumped together clumsily, but their lips moved in silent, perfect harmony. His mind drew blank. Everything before that was quick, chaste, tender. Barely there kisses. This, this was slow, worthwhile, everything.

Kissing Addison, under the soft yellow lights, soft funk music playing over the speakers, it was like nothing he'd ever done before. His hand brushed her ear, tangling in her hair. Addison shifted, turning more to him, almost sliding in his lap.

Almost…

Someone cleared their throat and they both jumped, separating. Zed looked over, blushing under the gaze of his favorite waitress, Emma. He cleared his throat, swiping his hand at his mouth, eyes going wide at the red stain that comes back. He's frazzled and a little all over the place, and he can't imagine how Addison is. Except he couldn't look at her, or her go red all over and forget how to speak. He just knows it.

"I'm sorry folks, this is a dining establishment, we kindly ask you to not get frisky in the booths," Emma said with a smirk.

Zed fought back a groan. There was no way he'd live this down. Emma would tell Mac, who'd tell Eliza, who would tease him forever about it all.

"Hi Emma," he said with a forced smile.

"Mr. Necrodopolis, nice to see you again." She eyed Addison and Zed finally looked over. She had shrunk back into the seat, letting her brown wig hide her face, though the short, frizzy bob did little work. They were just lucky the restaurant was dim. "So, you gonna introduce me to your date?"

"Um, no," Zed said. He gave her a sheepish grin and Addison snorted.

"Wow, okay then," Emma said. "What do you want to drink?"

"A water please," Addison said, her voice higher than normal.

"Me too."

Emma nodded and walked off, not saying much more to them. The second she was out of sight, both of them started laughing. They share a look, trying to keep quiet. But it's all so insane and odd and fun, a type of fun neither of them have experienced in a long time.

"Okay, okay, I'm gonna go like, fix myself," Addison said. "I'm pretty sure you nearly pulled off my wig."

"Yeah, and I'm definitely wearing your lipstick," Zed joked, following her.

She pulled down her skirt once she stood. His hand slid around her waist, resting comfortably on her back. Like they've been dating for years and not less than a day. It's all so comfortable and familiar, and it's crazy. He led her toward the back of the restaurant, the two of them separating at the bathrooms.

Zed stared at his reflection—the little strands of hair that were messy from her fingers, his swollen lips, the little smears of red around his mouth. And best of all his smile. He was happy, _actually _happy, happier than he'd been in a long time.

He wasn't going to mess this up, he wouldn't lose her. She was beyond his wildest dreams, too good for him, too good _to_ him, yet she was there, on a date, with Zed. Whatever it took, he wouldn't screw this up.

Zed turned on the sink. He grabbed for a paper towel, letting it soak for a moment, then brought it to his face to clean his mouth. The heavy door of the bathroom pushed open and Zed glanced through the mirror, seeing Bucky walking towards him and groaned under his breath. Right, of course, the one small technicality in all of this. The only thing standing between Zed and Addison.

"_You_," Bucky hissed.

Zed glanced at him. "Me," he replied cheekily.

Bucky stalked over to him, glaring and smirking all at once. It was creepy, partially intimidating. "You have some nerve, _Ted_," he spat.

"It's Zed."

"It could be goddamn David Beckham for all I care," Bucky snapped. "Keep your hands to yourself and your grimy tongue out of my baby cousin's mouth."

Zed couldn't help but smirk, saying, "Well actually there was no tongue," like a stupid, smartass looking for trouble. His mom always told him he had trouble holding his tongue.

Bucky narrowed his eyes. "You think this is funny?"

He did, but he wouldn't say that out loud. Not this time, at least. Instead, he shook his head. He turned off the water, turning to face Bucky more fully.

"Look, I get why you don't like me," Zed said. "I have a little sister, and I would commit murder before I let anyone hurt her."

"Don't try to relate to me," Bucky scolded. He eyed Zed up and down and added, "farm boy."

Zed reeled back. Farm boy? Were there even farms in New Hampshire?

"I've got my eyes on you, Ned."

Zed stared at him, shocked to say the least. He really had the nerve to threaten him. As if Zed didn't remember that, not even an hour ago, Bucky broke his picture frame. Not just any frame either, but it was his mom's favorite frame, that she'd hand-selected over FaceTime from Michaels.

There was no way Zed was gonna let some asshole midget treat him like that. His expression hardened. "I hope you enjoy the show," he teased. He couldn't help himself and winked, walking past Bucky and out of the bathroom. He could _not_ believe he just did that.

He went out into the hall, ready to head back to the table—was he supposed to go back or should he wait for her? Would she have waited for him? Whatever, she wasn't a baby, she could find their table, if she wasn't already there. His internal debate didn't matter much, because Addison was standing off to the side of the women's room, talking to some guy Zed vaguely recognized. He was taller than Addison, but not as tall as Zed, brooding and dark and ominous. Zed frowned. He wasn't jealous, or threatened, or anything. He was…just observing, for a second longer than he probably should have.

He didn't hear much of the conversation, not until Addison said, "I'm gonna—go back to my date now."

"Oh come on, Babe, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we just talk a bit more." His hand touched her shoulder and Zed sucked in a breath, anger rising within his chest.

Addison stepped away from him, saying, "I really have to go…"

The guy grabbed her and growled something, his voice low and quiet and turning Zed's stomach upside down. "Please don't touch me," Addison said, clearly uncomfortable.

Behind him, the bathroom door swung open, Bucky shouting, "I'm not done with you, Red!"

Zed's head throbbed, actually throbbed, rage pulsing in his veins. The frame, the stupid teen drama, the Bucky, the asshole. It was too much, too many little things that he kept trying to be cool about, kept trying to be smart and keep a level head, not do something stupid. He growled low under his breath, red dancing in the corner of his vision. He marched toward Addison and the pervy psycho.

There's arguing, a lot of shoving, none of which Zed remembered. He never remembered when he got in a fight, just that he did something stupid, that always, _always_ had awful consequences.

He's walking down the sidewalk, a cold water bottle pressed to his bruising eye. Addison was long gone, dragged off by her security team almost against her will. But it was for the best. Bad things happened to people Zed cared about.

Behind him, a siren blared and he stopped, groaning. Officer Skully rolled down his window, raising an eyebrow at Zed. "You really shouldn't be walking home this late at night, Zed," he said.

"I know."

"Need a ride?"

It was a bar fight, four years ago. Zed wasn't old enough to be there to begin with, let alone drink or dance with the girls there. Especially girls who, apparently, were in a relationship. He was fifteen, and stupid, with a broken nose, in the back of a police car. Officer Darrel Barton, affectionately nicknamed Skully (for no other reason than being bald).

Zed was no stranger to the backseat of Skully's car, his lectures or words of advice. He was no stranger to Skully's dinner table and his six year old son Alex that Zed got to babysit. Skully was like a second home.

So Zed nodded his head and went around the hood, climbing into the passenger seat. Skully drove off without a word. They don't talk, the occasional sounds from the police radar breaking the quiet but nothing more.

Zed looked at his phone through his one good eye, the cursor blinking angrily at him. He wanted to text her, apologize, make things alright. But he couldn't. Everything was already ruined. The best thing to ever happen to him, gone, just like that.


End file.
